Meanwhile, In The Broom Closet
by CunningWoman
Summary: SiYe Challenge fic. Ron curses, Hermione discovers, and Harry and Ginny hide secrets.


"HERMIONE!"

"Ron, don't yell! She's not here."

Ron was sitting at a table in the far corner of the common room, biting his quill and trying desperately to finish his final Potions essay before the Christmas holiday, which unfortunately for him, was due the next morning. He looked up in alarm.

"Not here? What do you mean, she's not here?"

It was Ginny who had answered him. "Don't be thick, Ron." She rolled her eyes, got up from the chair in which she had been re-reading "Quidditch Through The Ages," and ambled over towards him. After sitting down at Ron's table, she laid down her book and glanced at his parchment. "What is it that you need help with?"

Ron gave disbelieving sigh and dismissed his sister immediately. "Telling me not to be thick. You're a fourth year! Like you'd actually be able to help…" Ron looked back down at his parchment, trying to gauge how many more inches he would need.

Ginny held her head high. "Fine. I won't tell you where Hermione and Harry ran off to, then."

Ron's head snapped up immediately. "What?" His wide eyes narrowed, suddenly.

"Oh, come on, you don't actually need me to repeat-

"Of course not!" Ron snarled. He knew Ginny knew of his feelings for Hermione. She had found out this summer when she discovered spare pieces of parchment crumpled up in his dustbin that had "Mrs. Hermione Weasley" written all over them. She claimed she hadn't been snooping, but as Ginny had been willing to keep the secret, Ron had let her live. This time, anyway.

"Would you like to go to the library with me then? I need to return a few books." Ron was about to tell Ginny kindly that no, he didn't want to go to the library, he wanted to find Harry and rip his innards out, when he looked up and saw the glint in her eye that told him she was being clever and that the library was where he would most likely find his ex-best friend.

Ginny smirked. "Right, then. I'll just go get my books, shall I?"

Ron was fuming as he and Ginny made their way down to the library. He kept flexing his fingers and forming them into fists, all the while muttering under his breath. Ginny couldn't really say what he was mumbling about, but she thought she could hear phrases like "The bloody Boy-Who's-About-To-Die" every so often. As Ron said this particular line rather loudly, Ginny tripped over a loose stone on the floor in the sixth-floor corridor and fell on her face outside a deserted classroom. Her books flew every which direction, and her hair fell out of its ponytail.

"Damn!" Ginny said as she examined her now-broken hair tie. "This is the fourth one this week-

Ginny and Ron fell silent as they heard a giggle coming from the empty classroom. Ron's breath caught in his throat. He'd heard that giggle before…

He slowly tiptoed over to the door and bent down on all fours to peek in the crack underneath it, and motioned for Ginny to follow. As Ginny silently made her way to him,

He leaned down and looked under the door.

He could not have been less prepared for what he saw. He wouldn't have known who it was, save for that ruddy giggle and the book bag on the floor that bulging with so many books, it couldn't have been anyone but Hermione. From what he could see, she was standing entirely too close to a guy with particularly small feet. Could be Harry, but maybe not. Hopefully not.

Whoever-It-Was suddenly lifted Hermione off the ground. Ron heard a thud that he figured was his girl getting set up on a desk. Not good. Not good at all. He heard that bloody giggle again as Whoever-It-Was scooted in even closer to Hermione.

Now, as Ron saw it, there were two things he could do. One was to run and cry like a little girl in his dorm. Seeing as someone would probably make fun of him for that, he chose the second option.

Ron jumped up and threw the door open. He stomped inside to see Harry and Hermione breaking apart, Harry with his glasses askew and lip-gloss all over his face, and Hermione with the first two buttons of her shirt blouse undone. Fighting the urge to run screaming, Ron said quietly, "Why would you do this to me?" He looked down at the ground and said again, louder this time, "Why would you do this to me!" Harry straightened his glasses and started to move toward Ron. "No!" Harry looked surprised. "You're supposed to be my best mate! You knew I liked her! I know you've known since last year, at least! How could you go behind my back and move on MY GIRL!"

"Ron?"

Ron spun around to see Hermione standing in the doorway, with Harry standing behind her holding the Invisibility cloak. "Hold on, Mione." Ron turned back around so he could finish giving Harry and Hermione a piece of his mind-

What?

Ron looked at Hermione-in-the-doorway and then at Hermione-on-the-desk. That Hermione was looking rather strange. Her hair was turning a different color at the tips, and she was more tan than the Hermione he remembered… even more tan now, with straighter, shorter hair…

Harry, oddly enough, had red hair now, and his scar was gone…he was getting a little shorter, and a lot stockier…

Well, then. It's not everyday you see Fred Weasley and Angelina Johnson turn into Harry and Hermione.

"Ron?" The real Hermione looked at Ron with a question in her eyes


End file.
